Best type of house battery

gmg wrote:
Most RVs seem to have lead acid deep cycle marine batteries. However I’m just thinking that most but not all RVers rarely camp without shore power. The most instantaneous power demand is when running out slides or deploying jacks. So it seems to me that a standard or combination starting battery makes more sense than the deep cycle marine battery. One more question I have: I’m wondering if the higher cost for agm batteries is worth the money. The plus side to me is not having to keep up with the electrolyte levels. I would be interested in what others think about this or have experienced.

I disagree with some of the OP's assumptions, but overall I agree with the basic thought.

While I know we talk about switching to deep cycle batteries; I think it's important to keep in mind that the forum crowd is a very small microcosm of the overall RV community. So while it's easy to equate what a small group of people loudly proclaim to be best with what the general population believes, it just isn't really the reality of the beliefs of the general RV owner. If you think about it, of the multi million subscribers here on RV.net, probably no more than 1000 regular posters (I think 1000 is very generous by the way) are singing the virtues of deep cycle batteries.

I would bet that the majority of the multiple millions of RV owners are driving or pulling an RV with a standard marine or automotive starter battery because they are recognizable and readily availibe.

All that being said, I one hundred percent agree with your post that if a RVer typically has electric hookups all they need is a cheap automotive starter or marine battery. In fact I will even go one step further and suggest that for a trailer (5th wheel, travel trailer, popup etc) owner who camps with hookups; All they really need is a cheap thirty dollar 12 volt lawn and garden battery from Walmart that does no more than run the slides and activate the emergency breakaway system if needed.